When I was a very small boy, MTV would talk to me, and “True Faith” had a true impact on me. Was it my first exposure to surrealism? It was definitely my first exposure to a choreographer using “non-dance” maneuvers (bounding, slapping, jumping in place, signing)—later on, I’d become a huge fan of Yvonne Rainer, Robert Wilson, and Michael Clark.
The Wikipedia tells me that one Philippe Decouflé directed and choreographed the video, and that his work here was influenced by Oskar Schlemmer, in particular Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet:
Seems reasonable. I guess I have some new things to chase down.
Meanwhile, the song itself is ex-traor-di-nary.
A. D. Jameson's Blog 